whether you wish to donate an organ, tissue or eyes. Under
Pennsylvania law, donating a part of the body for
transplantation or research is a voluntary act. You do not
have to donate an organ, tissue, eye or other part of the
body. However, it is important that you make your wishes
about anatomical donation known, just as it is important to
make your choices about end-of-life care known.
Surgeons have made great strides in the field of organ
donation and can now transplant hands, facial tissue and
limbs. A hand, facial tissue and a limb are examples of what
is known as a vascularized composite allograft. Under
Pennsylvania law, explicit and specific consent to donate
hands, facial tissue, limbs or other vascularized composite
allografts must be given. You may use this document to make
clear your wish to donate or not to donate hands, facial
tissue or limbs.
Under Pennsylvania law, the organ donor designation on
the driver's license authorizes the individual to donate what
we traditionally think of as organs (heart, lung, liver,
kidney) and tissue and does not authorize the individual to
donate hands, facial tissue, limbs or other vascularized
composite allografts.
Detailed information about anatomical donation, including
the procedure used to recover organs, tissues and eyes, can
be found on the Department of Transportation's Internet
website. Information about the donation of hands, facial
tissue and limbs can also be found on the Department of
Transportation's Internet website.
You may wish to consult with your physician or your
attorney to determine whether the procedure for making an
anatomical donation is compatible with fulfilling your
specific choices for end-of-life care. In addition, you may
want to consult with clergy regarding whether you want to
donate an organ, a hand, facial tissue or limb or other part
of the body. It is important to understand that donating a
hand, limb or facial tissue may have an impact on funeral
arrangements and that an open casket may not be possible.
An advance health care directive may contain a health
care power of attorney, where you name a person called a
"health care agent" to decide treatment for you, and a living
will, where you tell your health care agent and health care
providers your choices regarding the initiation,
continuation, withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining
treatment and other specific directions regarding end-of-life
care and your views regarding organ and tissue donation.
You may limit your health care agent's involvement in
deciding your medical treatment so that your health care
agent will speak for you only when you are unable to speak
for yourself or you may give your health care agent the power
to speak for you immediately. This combined form gives your
health care agent the power to speak for you only when you
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